Clasp for a metallic bracelet



July 21, 1970 JEAN-PIERRE GAY CLASP FOR A METALLIC BRACELET Filed July 1. 1968 v United States Patent 01 dice 3,521,331 Patented July 21, 1970 3,521,331 CLASP FOR A METALLIC BRACELET Jean-Pierre Gay, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to Gay Freres S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, a company of Switzerland Filed July 1, 1968, Ser. No. 741,685 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Nov. 10, 1967, 15,703/ 67 Int. Cl. A44c /00, 5 04, 5/24 U.S. C]. 2471 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clasp for a metallic bracelet, particularly a wrist watch strap, includes the conventional cover and two links that fold beneath the cover into superposed relationship to permit opening and closing the bracelet when taking it off the wrist or putting it on the wrist. In addition, between the other end of the bracelet and the cover, a second set of two folding links, shorter than the first, is pivotally interconnected to the cover to provide two quickly adjusted lengths of the bracelet, for example if the bracelet is or is not to be worn over a garment such as a skin-diving suit.

The present invention concerns a clasp for a metallic bracelet comprising two links (strips) and a cover articulated end to end in such a fashion that they are superposed in the closed position.

Such clasps are already known and generally comprise means for adjusting the length of the bracelet constituted by a series of holes in the two lateral longitudinal sides of the outer cover of the clasp and a spring pin, destined to fix one of the ends of the bracelet, which is engaged in two opposite holes. In order to effect the adjustment of the length of the bracelet it is necessary to disengage the spring pin from the holes and to fix it in two other opposite holes corresponding to the desired length of the bracelet. This operation, which is generally carried out by a specialist when the bracelet is fitted to the arm of the wearer, requires special tools and a certain dexterity.

Certain users are in the habit of wearing their watch under conditions which make it necessary to have the possibility of frequent and consequently rapid and easy adjustment of the length of such a bracelet. This is in particular the case for swimmers who go in for underwater sport and have to wear their watch sometimes over a rather thick diving suit, and sometimes on the bare arm. It is easy to see that the mode of adjustment described above is not adapted for such frequent adjustments by reason, on the one hand of the dexterity required to effect the operation, and on the other of the tools which are necessary to disengage the spring pin from the holes.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a clasp having means which enable the length of the bracelet to be adjusted rapidly and easily. Consequently, it concerns a clasp for a metallic bracelet comprising two links and a cover articulated end to end in such a fashion that they are superposed in the closed position, each end of the bracelet being connected respectively to the end link and to the cover of the clasp by securing means, characterized in that one of these securing means is constituted by at least one adjustment member the two ends of which are articulated on two transverse axes to one of the ends of the bracelet, respectively to the cover of the clasp, this adjustment member being capable of occupying two positions on either side of its axis of articulation on this cover, which correspond respectively to two lengths of the bracelet the difference between which is equal to double the longitudinal dimension of this adjustment member, this latter being entirely lodged be tween the cover and the intermediate link of the clasp, at least when this member is in the position corresponding to the shortest length of the bracelet, when the clasp is closed.

The accompanying drawing illustrates, by way of an example, an embodiment of a clasp according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the closed clasp.

FIG. 2 is a profile view of the open clasp.

FIG. 3 is a profile view of the closed clasp.

FIG. 4 is a plan view from above of the closed clasp.

The illustrated clasp is composed of a cover 1, of an intermediate or first link 2 and of an inner end or second link 3. These two links and the cover are slightly curved in order to be adapted to the shape of the arm. The cover 1 and the link 2 are articulated on an axle 4 and the links 2 and 3 on an axle 5. The axle 4 is fixed in two lateral longitudinal sides 6 and 7 of the cover 1.

The end 8 of the bracelet is articulated to the end link 3 around an axle 9. The end 10 of the bracelet is secured to a part 11 articulated around an axle 13 with a slightly curved intermediate plate 12 comprising a third link. This intermediate plate 12 is in turn articulated around an axle 15 to an adjustment plate 14 comprising a fourth link, which is also slightly curved. The other end of the adjustment plate 14 is articulated around an axle secured in two opposite holes 16 of the lateral sides 6 and 7 of the cover 1. This cover is provided in addition at one end of the two lateral sides 6 and 7 with two opposite notches 17 destined, when the clasp is closed to hook on the part of the link 3 surrounding the axle 9.

In order to adapt the length of the bracelet to the arm of the wearer, the end of the adjustment plate 14 articulated to the cover 1 is first engaged in one of the pairs of opposite holes 16 of the lateral sides 6 and 7 which corresponds to the desired length of the bracelet. Once this operation has been effected, the wearer has the choice between two definite lengths of the bracelet.

In order to obtain the shorter lengths, it is only necessary to cause the adjustment plate 14 to pivot in the anticlockwise direction so that the intermediate plate 12 comes to be superposed on the adjustment plate 14. It may be remarked in FIG. 1 that to this end the part 11 is curved towards the outer face of the bracelet in order that it may pass around the end of the adjustment plate 14 articulated to the cover 1. The links 2 and 3 are then folded down onto the cover 1 and the end of the link 3 surrounding the axle 9 is hooked into the notches 17, thus maintaining the clasp in its closed position. The plates 12 and 14 situated between the inner face of the cover 1 and the intermediate link are held in the position illustrated in FIG. 1 as long as the end of the link 3 is hooked in the notches 17.

As a variant, and to facilitate the closing of the bracelet for the shorter length, the axle 15 and/ or the axle 13 of the plates 12, 14 may be made to project laterally so that when the plate 14 is folded down, the ends of this axle engage removably in a pair of holes 16. In this case it is necessary for the length of the plate 14 to be a whole multiple of the space separating two pairs of opposite holes 16 and for the space separating each pair of holes to be identical. The length of the axle 15 must be very slightly more than the distance between the inner faces of the lateral sides 6 and 7 so that the axle 15 may be disengaged from the holes 16 by a slight pull on the end 10 of the bracelet.

In order to obtain the greater length of the bracelet, the adjustment plate 14 is caused to pivot in the clockwise direction around the end articulated to the cover 1, after which the links 2 and 3 are folded down and the end of the link 3 surrounding the axle 9 is hooked into the notches 17, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Other variants could of course be conceived; in particular the extremity of the end 10 of the bracelet could be articulated directly to the adjustment plate 14, as the intermediate plate 12 is provided to reduce the thickness of the clasp.

I claim:

1. A clasp for a metallic bracelet, comprising first and second links and a cover, means connecting said links in end-to-end articulated fashion with the first link pivotally connected with the cover so that the links fold under the cover in superposed relationship in the closed position of the clasp, means articulating the second link to one end of a metallic bracelet, and means articulating the other end of the bracelet to the cover for adjustment between relatively short and long bracelet lengths, the last-named means comprising a third link articulated to the bracelet and a fourth link articulated to the third link and to the cover to swing to a closed position under the cover with the third and fourth links disposed so as to overlie each other beneath the cover when the clasp is closed and the bracelet is relatively short and to be extended when the clasp is closed and the bracelet is relatively long.

2. A clasp as claimed in claim 12, in which said first and fourth links are pivotally interconnected to the cover at a distance from each other which is greater than the length of said fourth link and in which the third link in the closed position of the clasp when the bracelet is relatively short extends from the point of connection of the fourth link to the cover, in a direction toward the point of connection of the first link to the cover.

3. A clasp as claimed in claim 1, in which said third 4 and fourth links underlie said first and second links in the closed position of the clasp when the bracelet is relatively short.

4. A clasp as claimed in claim 1, that portion of the bracelet to which said third link is connected having a recess therein thta oepns toward the cover when the brace let is relatively short and the clasp is closed, and an axle disposed in said recess by which said fourth link is pivotally connected to the cover.

5. A clasp as claimed in claim 1, said cover having longitudinally extending side flanges each of which has a series of holes therein, said fourth link having axle means thereon by which it is pivotally interconnected with said cover in any selected opposed pair of said holes.

6. A clasp as claimed in claim 1, in which said second and third links are substantially shorter than said first and second links.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,695,487 12/ 1928 Hadley 2471 1,766,477 6/1930 Armbrust 2471 1,778,044 10/1930 Speidel et al 2471 1,781,101 11/1930 Carlson 24-71- 2,542,358 2/1951 Ritter 24-71 3,345,705 10/1967 Gaup 24-71 STEPHEN J. NOVOSAD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 24-265 

